Scarecrow
by Chiisarin
Summary: ...Is it so wrong to wish to exist?  And thus, Yuffie's descension into darkness began.
1. Chapter 1

Yuffie creeps up on her target, her heart beating faster by the second.

**Bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bumpBa-bumpBa-bump...**

Freaking hell, her heart beating the Jaws theme song. Nice.

_Geez, shaddup already, will ya? Ninjas don't get nervous_. She winces. _Oh my gawd, I'm so lame that I yell at my heart. Alright, I vow to stop talking to myself from here on out._

With her promise in mind, she inches closer and closer until she can peer around the rock. It barely takes a second before her eyes zero in on her prey.

_Whoa..._

**Bubububububububububu...**

Her heart's beating so fast that it almost sounds like one steady long note of pulsing.

She doesn't know why she's so surprised. When she had first spotted the black cloak, she had immediately recalled the time when she had followed Leon and Sora and learned of the Organization. At the time, she had imagined all the faces under the cloaks to be evil old men, someone like Cid except with evil gothic makeup and some long hair. Yet when she's sees this man...she can't help but think...

"He's so young..."

She feels hot air on her hand and gasps, realizing she had spoken out loud. In panic, she glances over to the Organization member, checking if he had noticed. Luckily, she finds the man to be looking around curiously at the surroundings, oblivious to his watcher. She lets out a sigh and continues to observe him.

Well daaamn. That has _got _to be the weirdest hairstyle she has ever seen, and that's counting Sora's and Cloud's. Seriously, who had a _mullet_ nowadays? It was so outdated, out of style, and..._lame_. Besides, what happened if you ran out of hair spray? How do you keep it up? How did you style it...

_Alright, Yuffie. No getting off track. And ack! No talking to myself! Yourself? Whatever! Concentrate! Focus! Yarrr..._

She decides to test his reaction. Picking up, she aims it carefully and...

_WHAM!_

"EEYAK!"

His cry echoes through the clearing, reverberating.

_..Eeyak!_

_...eeyak!_

Yuffie cringes, her shoulders hunching up in pain as her mouth opens in a silent '_ow_'. Damn...How could a guy possibly scream that loud? (And she that that _she_ was loud.) He sounded like a freaking girl, and she hadn't even thrown the rock near him!

The guy starts muttering to himself as he cautiously looks around him.

"Alright Demyx...it was nothing. Just...a bird! Yeah, a bird!"

This guy was a coward. How did a wimp like him get into Organization 13...?

_Twitch._

"AUGH!"

**FWOOOSH! **

The poor heartless that had accidentally walked within seeing distance of the guy's (Demyx?) peripheral vision was now currently bits and pieces of shadow, courtesy of a big pillar of water that was spouting out of the ground.

Ooookay, it was a _powerful_ wimp. But a wimp, nonetheless.

_Right. Note to self, don't underestimate wimps, especially if they're in Organization 13. ...And I give up on trying to not talk to myself._

Yuffie reaches for her shuriken, a not-really-all-too-clear strategy starting to form as she gets ready to confront him. But then, just as she's about to attack, she hears a little voice, deep in her mind, calling, "Oi! Go get Leon! You might need some backup!"

She stops, realizing that this might be true (Keyword: _might_. For Yuffie was great and almighty). She turns around, about to go back to see if she could someone to help within in the raging heartless when her foot gets caught on a rock...

_Whooossh..._

And suddenly, the sky seems to be getting far away...

**Bam!**

"Yeeoow!" She screeches as her butt hits the floor. Damn her and her klutziness...She was a ninja! Ninjas don't aren't clumsy, and they certainly don't fall down flat on their...oh crap.

A slightly unsure, but concerned voice comes from behind her.

"...Err...Are you okay?"

Oh crap. Organization 13 member. Ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcraaaaap...

She immediately zooms up and turns around to face the guy, her hand pointing at him accusingly. (She shall now totally ignore the fact that her face is lighting up with embarrassment. Yes she shall.)

"Don't think you can fool me with your kind act!" She threatens as she gets her shuriken in her hand. Her feet slides back in a battle stance. "The Great Ninja Yuffie is fooled by no one!"

Letting out a cry, she begins to attack, throwing her shuriken at him...which totally misses to her dismay. Damn moving targets They were so much harder to hit.

The guy lands on his feet after jumping back, and looks at her with a cheerful grin.

"You know, it's not nice to attack people without warning." He chides, as if talking to a child. "By the way, I'm Demyx. Hiya!"

For a second, she's thrown off beat.

_The guy's freaking crazy. Really._

"Shut up!" She yells, running forward in an attempt to best him in close combat. "I don't care who you are! Hurry up and fight!"

"Whoa!" The Evil Annoying Moving Target (as Yuffie has now dubbed him as) cries, jumping out of the way of yet another attack. He scratches his head sheepishly. "But I don't really like fighting..."

Once again, Yuffie finds herself freezing in shock, in amazement, in annoyance at _this annoying NOBODY_. There were just so many things she wanted to answer that with...

"So you just send your Heartless flunkies to do the job, then?"

He shrugs, completely unaffected by her taunt.

"They're just pieces of darkness." He says flippantly, waving off the matter with his hands.

_What...?_

He's right...but...

When he said it like that...it just...

_Sounded so wrong._

_It sounded...so prejudiced._

_So absolutely wrong, IT'S NOT RIGHT!__  
_

She never thought that she would feel bad for the _Heartless_, out of all things.

Yet...as she hear them being talked about like this...

She almost feels mad.

Scratch that.

She _is _mad.

"How...why...You _bastard_!" She yells, charging at him. "The Heartless were people once! How...Even if they are darkness now...How can you just treat them like that?"

It only maddened her further to see him easily dodging and jumping out of the way of her every attack.

"Hey! Aren't you the ones who are destroying them?" He says defensively.

"Yeah, but at least I'm not sending them to their deaths!" She responds back, not letting down. She continues to attack and attack...C'mon, she's gotta be lucky sometime. "What's your goal? What do you hope to accomplish by sending the Heartless take over this world?"

The guy raises his arms in defense, waving them about while still continuing to dodge.

"Hey, you've got it all wrong! We're just..." He pauses, a sly smirk crossing his face. "Nice try, but you're not getting any information out of me!"

Why. The. Hell. COULDN'T SHE HIT HIM!?

"What? So you deny sending the Heartless to take over Radiant Garden?" Yuffie goads, trying to see if she could milk out some information while she was attempting to attack.

Demyx pauses, and for a split second, Yuffie almost hit him.

She grins at his reaction, and continues to talk.

"What about Twilight Town? Was that an accident too, then?"

This time, he spasms, he stumbling back as his eyes stare at some unknown scene playing on the ground. His breath somehow seems more shallow, more short.

Yuffie prepares her shuriken for her first and final hit.

"Well...It looks like you heartless Nobodies do have a conscience after all..." She mutters to herself, but loud enough so he could hear.

And then, with all of her strength, she strikes down...

**CLASHOOM!**

..._Wha..._

She's flying...through the air...

_Oh crap._

Only due to her ninja reflexes is she able to land on her feet. Her head snaps up, looking for her opponent when...

She sees him.

"...Who..."

A dark shadow adorns his face in darkness, his expression suddenly cold and chilling. His former sea-green eyes seem to have lost their light, leaving only dark depths of the unknown. He holds an unfamiliar claymore-looking weapon expertly in his hands. And that stare of his...

...Was it the same man?

**What a scary face.**

She couldn't believe it.

"Who are you?" She whispers in half-horror, half-shock.

The grin that appears on his face sends shivers up her spine.

"That's right, little girl..."

_Clang!_

Just barely in the nick of time was she able to left her weapon against his. Her arm shakes against the pressure of his attack.

He was so close that she could feel his warmth radiating off him...(_Nobodies have warmth?)_

"...Don't presume to know me." He whispers to her softly.

And then he starts to attack.

* * *

It took her less than a minute to realize that she was fighting a losing battle. 

What happened to that wimp from before? The coward who was scared of a mere Heartless?

...She didn't want to know, she realizes after thinking.

"...Done already? What happened to all that "Great Ninja" stuff you were talking about earlier?" He calls from the across the clearing, clearly taunting her. Yuffie forces herself to get up, despite the pain in her legs and back and ribs and arms and_ohmygawdthepainwouldnotstoooop!  
_

"I haven't even got started!" She yells back, immediately coughing after she finishes speaking.

_Riiight. Go put on that bravado, Yuffie! That'll certainly make things better..._

She prepares herself for his next attack, when suddenly he lets his stance drop. With a nonchalant look towards the sky, he begins to talk as if speaking to a familiar friend.

"Have you ever thought that...that maybe...just _maybe_...the Heartless are good for the worlds?" He asks, leaning casually on his weapon. Yuffie bristles.

How dare he...How dare he insult her so casually as to even put down his weapon!

She practically feel the anger pumping in her veins when_—_

_Splash!_

Pillars of water surround her, making any movement impossible. She looks around, seeing if she can find an opening.

"Whoa, chill girl." He says, and for a moment, the wimp is back. Then he smirks, and that flash she had seen is gone. "I just asked you a question."

She glares at him.

"Don't call me a girl." She growls out. "I'll have you know that I'm a woman!"

He raises an eyebrow before letting out a sigh.

"Yeah yeah, thirteen's the new age for adulthood, I know. (Yuffie for a moment wonders if maybe she runs fast enough, she can get through the prison and attack him before he can reacts.) Still, I asked you a question. It's only polite you answer."

She looks around at the water, and then at him.

"...No, I have never thought that the Heartless might be good for the worlds." She says, totally deadpan. Who knows, maybe if she stalled him long enough, Leon might come. And she might even get him to reveal the Organization's plans.

Demyx grins, pleased that she answered without much trouble.

"But if you think about it...the Heartless really do have their benefits." He says with the air of an lawyer laying out his argument.

(_Says the guy who can control them._)

Yuffie wonders if she should sit down for this.

"For one, it's weeds out all the weaklings. Cause any person who can't even fight or come to terms with his darkness doesn't deserve to live anyway." He claims, talking as if this is all obvious information that people should know.

Yuffie bursts out, cutting off what he is about to say.

"Everyone should deserve to live! You have_—"_

**His face is so cold**

She shut up.

With a satisfied nod, he continues on.

"Then, going along with point one, the people who survive are forced to become stronger. So then, in the end, it all becomes good because the despite the loss, everyone ends up becoming stronger, you know?"

He looks to her for confirmation.

She just stares back at him, totally horrified...horrified...

...horrified at how it _made sense._

It made perfect, logical sense.

...Wouldn't the world be better off stronger?

More united?

Yes...it was true...

It would be better...

(Would it be? Would she trade strength for the lives of all the friends she lost?)

(Would it be?)

(...Would it be?)

She can't believe it.

It seemed so wrong...

The logic made sense, yes...but...

...but...

_NO! It's wrong!_

...she didn't wan't to believe what he said was right.

...she _wouldn't _believe what he said was right...

No.

It wasn't.

"No...you're wrong..."

She doesn't know she's talking out loud. She's only muttering to herself, unsure...yet she knows what she says is right. She _knows_.

He listens anyway, silent.

"Because...even if people were overcome by the darkness...it doesn't mean they're gone. It doesn't mean they didn't exist...We still remember their deaths..."

Her eyes seem to sting, though for all she knows, it might be just the water spraying droplets into her eyes.

"...Even if it made us stronger..."

She looks up into his eyes, almost in a trance.

"...Is it still wrong to wish for people to survive?"

A wind blows through the area.

The dust rises.

And the dust settles.

How anti-climatic.

The water pillars came down, though Yuffie barely notices. She's just staring...

Staring...

**What a sad face**.

Was is the same man?

...She couldn't believe it.

"People can't exist without hearts, huh..."

It's a mumble that barely fills the air.

He gets off his weapon, and turns around, his back facing towards her. He looks at her from over his shoulder.

She can barely him over the void of nothing.

That void of dead air.

"...Is it so wrong to wish to exist?" He looks down, a nostalgic smile on his face. "Must you humans make things so black and white?

He turns his head forwards, and with a flick of his hand...

...He's gone.

Into Darkness and never coming back.

Even yet, Yuffie finds herself continuing to mutter, whispering into empty air.

"...But...You're a nobody! You...You don't have emotions..."

She wonders who's she talking to.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

She saw Demyx die. 

Sora killed him.

It was almost anti-climatic the way he had went, just...fading into darkness. (He was trying to make Sora into a Heartless. He deserved it.) It was kind of scary how Sora just shrugged it off and moved on. (He was trying to make Sora into a Heartless. He deserved it.)

But then, heartless are suddenly attacking Sora and she has no time to think.

_That's right...just don't think and I'll get through this._

"Sora, did you miss me? Yuffie is on the scene!"

* * *

It's the end of the battle. Sora's already gone on to the next world. Everyone's alive. 

_Only the strongest survive._

Yuffie puts her head on her knees, arms curled around her legs. Funny, she doesn't feel strong.

Aerith comes around to check up on Yuffie. A green glow surrounds her and Yuffie suddenly wakes up from her thoughts, feeling the warmth of Aerith's healing. She lets out a little sigh and relaxes in the familiar feel.

"Thanks Aerith."

Aerith nods and gives a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Yuffie knows that look. It was Aerith's something's-not-right-and-I'm-worried-for-you look. The look always bugged her, made her feel like she a little child despite the fact that Aerith didn't mean it in a bad way.

"Yuffie...are you okay?"She asks, obviously concerned.

Yuffie puts on a smile.

"Of course I'm fine!" She attempts for a cheerful voice, and waves Aerith off. "Don't worry about me, you should be checking up on Cloud or something!"

Aerith hesitates, giving her that I-know-you're-lying-and-I'm-not-sure-if-I-should-leave-you-like-this look. Yuffie just pushes her on.

"Go go...You're our only decent healer. We can't have people dying, can we?" When Aerith still doesn't move, Yuffie drops her face and looks away. "I just...I just need some time to think. Don't worry."

Aerith sighs.

"...Alright. You know I'm always here to talk, right?" And then she moves on.

Talk. She doesn't want to talk. She just wants...

She didn't know what she wants anymore.

Sleep. She wants to go to sleep and wake up and find that the world's right side up again. She wants to wake up and find that she's happy, that she's satisfied with the way things are.

Her eyes drift around the room. Would these people kill the Nobodies just as Sora had?

Cid's at the computer. Aerith is healing Tifa. Leon is looking over something with Merlin.

Suddenly, the room seemed like it was full of strangers.

She didn't know these people.

These people didn't know her. They wouldn't understand her troubles, they wouldn't understand that this war against the Nobodies didn't seem right anymore.

Her eyes catch sight sight of another, one lurking in the shadows quietly.

And suddenly, it was if she found a friend. One who could understand without having to know.

"Cloud...You want to play a game of chess?"

* * *

_She lost spectacularly. It was absolutely amazing how much she sucked. Or maybe Cloud was that good...? _

_She sighs and cleans up the pieces._

_"Cloud...if life was black and white, would it be easier?" She asks, not really sure why she's asking, not really sure if she wants an answer._

_He is silent. She continues to talk on._

_"After all...that's what we're doing isn't it? We mark the Heartless as bad, we mark the Nobodies as evil...but...Is it right?"_

_She didn't think she would get an answer._

_"...The world needs balance. Just as it needs light and dark, it needs good and evil." He says after a while. He hands her the box cover, which she neatly puts over the folded up chessboard.  
_

_When she looked into his eyes, all she saw was a mirror of her emotions._

* * *

"Oya oya...What's this?" 

The unfamiliar voice is too close.

Yuffie's eyes flash open, her hands immediately reaching for her shuriken as she jumps into fighting position, her eyes never leaving the hooded stranger in front of her.

It's not there. Crap. The stranger must of taken it.

The stranger seems unfazed by Yuffie's wariness and merely looks her up and down.

"My my, aren't you the jumpy one?" The stranger says, an almost curious, almost delighted tinge to her voice.

As the woman talks, Yuffie takes the time to glance at her surroundings. It's a dark moonlit beach, thorns and branches protruding everywhere in odd spots. From the looks of it, she'll have to fight without a weapon. Craaap.

_Blink._

The woman's gone_—_Someone's behind her.

"Ah...I see."

Yuffie flips around, and comes face to face with the stranger. _How did she...?_

"So, you have a heart, just like _him_." She shrugs. "Maaah, just when I thought things were going to get interesting."

Yuffie takes a step back, keeping her face blank.

_What was this person talking about?_

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" Yuffie asks, making sure to keep her voice calm and steady. No need to let the enemy get any more of an advantage.

As soon as the question is asked, the stranger bursts into a weird fit of giggles, her body hunching over.

"You...You think I brought you here?" The stranger asks, her voice hysterically high on delight. "Silly girl! Can't you feel it?"

Yuffie narrows her eyes.

"Feel what?"

She could practically hear the stranger's smirk.

"Look around little girl...We're in the Realm of Darkness."

At those words, Yuffie's feels her world stop.

_...What?_

She looks around and suddenly realizes...

The shadows are quite dark.

The air is quite chilled.

And the moon...

She couldn't believe it.

"Kingdom Hearts..." She breathes out.

The stranger claps her hands.

"That's right! Good job, little girl!"

Yuffie is snapped out of her trance and her gaze is back on the woman.

"Wait...but why am I here? You said so yourself that I had a heart! It's not like..."

She stops talking, realization dawning on her.

"...You're a Nobody."

The woman suddenly seems to turn cold.

"...So, you aren't so dumb, after all." The stranger crosses her arms. "Yes, I am a Nobody. Your point?"

A sudden urgency seems to rush over Yuffie.

"Is this where Nobodies go when they fade into darkness?" She hesitates. "...If I wanted to...could I find Demyx?"

It's silent. Yuffie seems to wait an eternity for an answer.

Then, suddenly out of no where, the stranger starts laughing again, her giggling turning into a full blown cackle.

"You...The first thing you ask...is to find...that freak!"

The laughing continues for a while longer, Yuffie waiting as she takes yet another step back. By the time she calms down, the stranger is wiping tears off her face.

"...You're an amusing girl, you know that?" The stranger remarks. Yuffie ignores her comment.

"You didn't answer my question."

The stranger waves it off.

"Yeah yeah, you probably could find him." The stranger straightens, her voice turning into poison. "That is...if you don't get lost in the darkness first."

The words sends chills up Yuffie's spine.

However, before she can contemplate it any further, a sudden blinding light comes into view, forming into a shape of the door.

"Wha-what is that?" Yuffie stutters, squinting her eyes against the brightness.

"A door to light. You might want to take if you ever want to get out of here."

Suddenly, in her mind, she can hear Aerith calling out to her.

_Yuffie? Yuffie...wake up! Time for breakfast!_

Wait...was this all a dream?

The stranger's voice jolts her out of her thoughts.

"...Oh? Are you going to stay?"

That amused tone really bugged her. Seriously. It was just so...condescending. And high-pitched. And annoying.

"Of course not." Yuffie snaps back and starts to march towards the door, when she stops and turns. "You...can't come?"

"Nope. Got no body to protect me from the light. If I went then I'd just be burnt out by the light, and I wouldn't even exist anymore," The stranger replies nonchalantly. Then she adds, "Not like I ever existed properly in the first place..."

Yuffie nods, feeling oddly regretful.

"Oh." Her voice is hollow. "Well...can I at least know your name?"

The stranger pauses, silent for a moment. Then, she throws off her hood, revealing her face.

"The name's Larxene."

_Leon made pancakes today! Wake up!_

Yuffie takes the name in. Larxene...such a graceful-sounding name.

"...I'm Yuffie."

And then without pause she walks towards the door of light.

She opens her eyes to see Aerith peering over her. Aerith's face lights up when she sees Yuffie awake.

"Oh good, you're up! Now to get Cloud up..."

And bustles out of the room, leaving Yuffie alone to ponder.

Had it only been a dream?

She wonders...

* * *

AN: I specifically told myself that if I continued this, I would laugh. Okay. Harharharhar. (I think I'm continuing this just to spite myself, really.) I've never played CoM, I'm making complete guesses on Larxene's character based on the FM+ videos. I hope you like what I have so far and of course, please review.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

For the next few night, she has no dreams.

* * *

Today's she is on Heartless duty by herself. 

She used to hate this job so much. Such repetitive work, always getting so boring after a while. It had never seemed as exciting as searching for hidden rooms, or trying to crack into some secret data.

But now, as she throws her shuriken around, killing off the Heartless one by one, she's almost grateful for the mindless work. It almost feels good to know that she's doing something _good_, something meaningful and worthwhile.

No pain, no gain.

But then...at the same time, she's feels guilty. She feels annoyed. She shouldn't need the Heartless to feel good about herself. She shouldn't have to kill off these creatures as if it was some sort of repent for all her past sins.

She's stronger than this.

The Great Ninja Yuffie is better than this.

What an odd feeling this is, she muses.

_Fwiiishhh..._

Automatically, her hand comes up to catch the whizzing weapon. She brings her shuriken back, about to let out another attack, when she stops.

_Blink._

The wind that pushes past her feels oddly warm, oddly biting.

There are no more Heartless left.

How...empty.

What an empty victory.

With a bitter smile, she looks towards the sky, wondering..._wishing _he could hear her.

_Haha...you're wrong you stupid Nobody. You're wrong._

What a gray sky.

_The Heartless aren't making us stronger...They're making us weaker_

How bright it is.

_Weak...Weak as we depend on the black and white._

What an empty victory.

* * *

"Yuffie...are you eating an apple?" 

Yuffie looks up, blinking in mid-chew.

"Eh?" Her eyes are blank as she processes the words. Then, looking at her hand, she sees Leon is right. Yuffie shrugs. "Oh, I guess I am."

Leon narrows his eyes.

"This from the girl who proclaimed that she would live off of salty junk food, and salty junk food only?" He asks, skeptical.

It had looked so bright on the table, so red, so..._shiny_. So she took it.

Yuffie grins and holds it up.

"Look...It's my _preeecious_...So pretty, so blooody..." She purrs, rubbing her cheek against the smooth skin. Inwardly, she does a mental victory dance when she sees Leon's eyebrow twitching.

"...I just want you to know that because Cid's injured, you're going to have to take over his shifts of Heartless watch, alright?" Leon says, his voice strict and clear. He crosses his arms. "And _no _excuses will get you out of this, this time."

A frown settles on Yuffie's face as she lets out a frustrated groan.

_Is this my punishment for eating something healthy for once?_

"...Yuffie?"

Yuffie rolls her eyes, but nods anyway.

"Yeah yeah, I got it," She says, dismissing him with her hand.

Leon gives her one last look before walking off, to which Yuffie responds by sticking her tongue out at him.

It's only when he's completely gone does she let her face drop completely. She leans her head against the wall, eyes closed as she takes yet another bite of her apple.

The breaths she lets out are a dense haze of emotions...too deep, too deep.

She's doesn't know what to feel anymore.

* * *

Her mood lightens up when two days later, Cloud comes. (She's noticed that ever since the Heartless invasion he had been coming to Hollow Bastion more often.) 

She doesn't know why, but Cloud's visits seemed to bring such...tolerance to her day. The skies would still be gray, but somehow the clouds suddenly seemed prettier. She still hated Heartless duty, but she knew when she got back, she would have someone to lose to chess to, someone to talk to...

Someone...different.

Aerith smiles as she tells Yuffie of Cloud's arrival.

"Cloud's come to visit again," Aerith tells Yuffie as she gets back from Heartless duty, an odd twinkle to her eyes. That knowing smile on her face somehow...bugged Yuffie. Yuffie stares at Aerith suspiciously, crossing her arms.

"Alright...What's with that look?" Yuffie demands to know, fingers tapping against her arm. Aerith is unfazed by Yuffie's tone, raising her eyebrows in an childlike, naive fashion.

"Hmm? Whatever are you talking about?" Aerith says innocently. Yuffie narrows her eyes at Aerith's tone. Aerith...Aerith was...

..._teasing _her!

"Aerith..." Yuffie warns. Aerith finally puts off her facade, breaking out into giggles.

"...Yuffie..." Aerith sings. "Everyone knows you like Cloud...No need to hide your little crush."

Yuffie feels her heart stop.

..._WHAT?_

"Wha...What crush on Cloud!?" Yuffie screeches, her hands clutching at her chest in horror. Ew. Ew. Ewewewewewewewew...that's just...GROSSNESS!

Aerith's smile only seems to grow even more.

"No...Just...Oh, gawd no! He's just a friend!" Yuffie blurts out. Immediately she covers her mouthing, wincing at her words.

She can already feel herself groaning at all the teasing she's going to get from Cid, Tifa...

...Leon.

Oh, Leon's never going to let her live this down.

Crap.

She's doomed.

Aerith just walks away, humming a silly little tune.

* * *

It's when Yuffie starts cooking dinner(cause no one dares let Aerith near the kitchen, let alone inside it) does Leon and Cloud come home. 

"Cloud! Yo!" She calls, switching the oven to simmer. "Leon, won't you cook dinner for me...?"

Leon raises his eyebrow, about to make a retort when Aerith comes and whispers into his ear. (Greeeat.) Leon smirks as he listens.

"Alright..." He says, and comes to take the pan from Yuffie's hands. "Go for it."

Yuffie narrows her eyes and whacks him (lightly, of course, as he _was _making her dinner) on the shoulder.

"Don't believe everything you hear." She warns, before promptly going to Cloud and dragging him along somewhere. "Cloud, let's go play some chess, discuss the meaning of life, and all that stuff!"

Cloud just nods in agreement, letting himself be taken.

* * *

"You know...Few nights ago, I had this dream..." 

She move her pawn.

"...And I've been wondering if it's real or not."

Cloud pauses and takes her rook. (Craap!)

She continues to talk.

"I dreamed that I was at a beach...and Kingdom Hearts was hanging over me..."

She moves yet another pawn.

"And then, there was this woman...I don't remember what she said exactly, but I remember this one particular thing she said..."

Cloud just her last knight, totally ignoring all the pawns she's sending out. Yuffie sighs. Yup. She was losing big time.

She decides she's going to finally move her queen

"It was something like, 'You can try...that is, if you don't get lost in the darkness...'"

"Checkmate."

Yuffie stops her little talk and looks down at the chessboard.

"Wha...WHOA CRAP! How did I notice that?" Yuffie exclaims, finally realizing what Cloud's plan had been the whole time. She slumps. "I lost again..."

Cloud shrugs and merely beings to collect the pieces.

Yuffie narrows her eyes at him, wishing he would just say something. It was the thing that one either hated or loved about him: He rarely talked. (You see, Yuffie has this theory. The _real _reason that Cloud doesn't talk is because he...has halitosis. And decaying teeth. Thus, if talks more than necessary, people will catch what's actually inside his mouth, and thus ruining his non-existent social life. And then people will call him names like Gas Mouth and Green Teeth. Which isn't good. No, not at all. But someday, Yuffie believes that she will be strong enough to reveal his secret to the world. Yes

"Well...I'm getting better, aren't I?" Yuffie prompts. "See, you took more time to beat me then last time!"

A pause.

Still.

Then Cloud puts the last piece into the the box and covers it.

"...No." He stands up. "I'm getting worse."

And he leaves, his footsteps thudding on the floor, then on the stairway. Yuffie creases her eyebrows, frowning.

She should know what he's meaning...

* * *

A chill runs up her body. With a groan she turns over, reaching for the blanket to... 

No blanket. Cold. Sand.

Her eyes zoom open, and is met with the sight of obsidian skies.

Kingdom Hearts.

She's in the Realm of Darkness.

With a sigh, Yuffie sits up and wraps her arms around herself, wishing the cold would just go away. (Yarrr, she's a ninja! She will survive!)

No one else is here. She's alone.

_Blink._

"...Is Cloud here?"

She's in her room. It's warm, the blankets are covering her and there's no beach to be seen.

_...What?_

"Yuffie? ...I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Yuffie jumps, suddenly realizing there's someone else in the room. Heart beating fast, her eyes fly to the speaker, her hand clutching as her blanket.

"T-tifa?" Yuffie looks down and takes a deep breath. "Dude, you scared me..."

Tifa scratches her head sheepishly, a cheeky grin spreading on her face.

"Sorry," She apologizes."I didn't expect you out all people to be asleep at this hour."

Yuffie tilts her head questioningly before glancing at her clock...

..._WHOA DAMN IT'S ONLY TEN! (And that certainly is not right. For ten is much too early to go to sleep! How was she supposed to play pranks on the others if she went to sleep to early?! How was she to secretly sneak around as ninjas should if she was asleep at the only time proper for sleeping? WHEN DID SHE BECOME SUCH A GOODY TWO-SHOES!?)  
_

"...So, have you seen Cloud lately?" Tifa asks, interrupting Yuffie out of her thoughts. Yuffie pauses for a moment, processing Tifa's words.

"He isn't here?"

Tifa frowns and lets out a frustrated sigh.

"And I missed him _again!" _Tifa groans. Then, putting on a determined face, she cracks her knuckles and narrows her eyes. "Oh when I see him again...Yuffie, thanks for your help."

And Tifa's off, leaving the door slightly ajar. Light from the hallway filters in the crack, filling the room with fragmented shades of orange.

Yuffie lets out a breath, wondering what had just happened. She holds up a hand, almost searching for a grain of sand, a mark, something that shows that...

...That shows what? What is she looking for?

_...and her vision starts to fade...NO!_

Yuffie wrenches her eyes open, refusing to go to sleep. She didn't want that cold feeling of nothing surrounding her, that cold feeling of being alone, that...

She focuses on the moonlight.

* * *

It's only a brief moment. 

She's not awake.

But she's not sleeping...is she?

"Who...are you?"

The stranger in front of her turns around, her hazy vision unable to see anything but black, black and...

...blue eyes.

* * *

She wakes and remembers nothing.

* * *

AN: I realize I put hints of a lot of pairings in here but...they're unintentional. Seriously. I'm planning on making this just a happy gen-fic. (Meh, I might change my mind.) It's funny, I finally feel like I'm just starting to get a grasp on Yuffie's character.

Also, if you leave anonymous reviews...you don't suppose you could leave an e-mail I could respond to?

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

_Cold, fresh air...the smell of salt..._**  
**

**"Yuffie!"**

Yuffie gasps, drowning in air.

"Wuzza...?" She says, flipping her head around back and forth, looking for the voice...Whoaa...pretty colours...Hey...what's that blob of brown stuffers...?

She blinks a bit, her eyes adjusting to the sudden change...Crap.

That blob of brown was Leon.

"...Oh. Hi, Leon," She says weakly. She could just feel it coming...the _lecture._

_Yuffie, you can't fall asleep while working. What it something had happened...blah blah responsibility...blah blah...mature...blah blah adult..._

But much to her surprise, Leon merely places a hand on her forehead.

"...Are you okay?"

Alright, now she knows she's dreaming.

Yuffie gives him a look, and quickly pushes his hand away. With a frown, she pushes her bangs back down.

"Alright, what do you want?" She asks suspiciously, crossing her arms. Leon gives her a frustrated look.

"...I don't want anything!" He opens his mouth angrily, about to continue on, when he suddenly deflates. He puts on a resigned look and when he talks again, his voice is more calm, defeated. "Look...I'm worried. We're all worried. This is the seventh time you've fallen asleep while working, so Aerith decided..."

And suddenly he stops talking, his face squeezing into a tight line like he just swallowed a lemon whole.

Yuffie wonders if it's wrong of her to feel such joy at that expression, such anticipation. She can practically feel something good coming...

"...And?" She goads, poking him. Her grin is so wide that she feels like there's an orange peel in her mouth. Speaking of an orange...man, did she want an apple.

Leon gives her a do-you-have-to look.

"...And..." He repeats.

Yuffie pokes him again.

"...Aaaannnnd?" She sings. Alright, anytime now he's going to say that he's decided to give her chocolate so she can save (take over) the world by overfilling it with sugar...

Leon gives out a deep breath, as he looks to the side.

"And, Aerith has decided we need to go on vacation."

**Dot.**

**Dot.**

**Dot.**

"OH HELL NO!"

Yuffie's screech echoes throughout the worlds.

* * *

Yuffie hates vacations. Hated, loathed, despised wanted to KILL VACATIONS! 

No one could never really figure out why a Yuffie would hate vacations, being such energetic creatures. However, some have figured that this might be due to the fact Aeriths are quite prone to planning very bad vacations.

Such as the time to the Pridelands.

("Oh look Yuffie! It's a hyena...Oh? Look, it's coming towards us! Let's go feed it something!"

"Aerith...RUN!")

Or maybe it was the time they went to Olympus Coliseum.

("...Uwaah! So cool! Look at that statue!"

"Steam is coming out of it. Whoopie.")

Or perhaps it was that time at Wonderland...

No. She wouldn't even _think _of Wonderland...scary place...scary colours...and that cat that _wouldn't stop following her!_

Oh no. Wonderland had left many scars upon this Yuffie...

All in all, a Yuffie will always HATE DESPISE LOATHE vacations.

Case closed.

* * *

"Yuffie, look!" 

Yuffie turns her head around, a deadpan look on her face.

"What now, Aerith," She says dully. If there was another cute dog that Aerith absolutely just _had _to pet...

Aerith grins, and then, from behind her back...VOILA!

"Sea-salt ice cream!"

Yuffie feels her jaw drop. Ice cream...as in sugar? Ice cream...as in sweet happy junk food? Ice cream as in...ICE CREAM!?

Almost on reaction, her hand grabs for it and starts holding it up like it was holy. (Cause it IS holy. It's ICE CREAM.)

"Oh my gawd how long has it been since I last had ice cream and it's _sea-salt _ice cream! Dude! I haven't had this since I was like...FIVE!" Yuffie starts to babble/rant/stare, her eyes never moving from the TOTALLY HOLY ice cream. Ladies and gentlemen, this goes to prove that dreams _can _come true.

"...And if you continue talking like that, you won't have much any longer," Leon interrupts, pointing to the melting liquid crawling down the side. Yuffie merely gives him a short glare before going to lick her ice cream happily.

And in less than a minute, the ice cream is gone.

(By the way, it takes a eighty-nine licks to finish a sea-salt ice cream.)

"Aerith! I'm going to get more!" Yuffie anounces cheerfully as she drops her stick into the garbage can. "Where didja get it?"

Aerith shakes her head, but tells Yuffie anyway.

"It's right around the corner, the stall with a blue umbrella. Do you have munny?"

Yuffie grins cheekily.

"Yup. I stole Leon's."

With a short wave, she runs away before they can say (or in Leon's case, curse) anything.

* * *

"Okay, you can stop staring at me." 

Yuffie jumps, before inwardly cursing. Damn it, ninjas were supposed to be stealthy.

...Still, she had her pride.

(And oh my, her ice cream is so interesting.)

"I'm sorry, are you talking to me?" She says, making of show of how she's happily licking her ice cream for she is an innocent happy little girl and innocent happy little girls don't do anything wrong...Nope. Never ever.

The guy slides down to the seat across from her. (For Aerith and Leon had decided to leave her to eating her ice cream while they went _sightseeing_. Yuck.)

"You're not fooling me. 'Fess up." The guy demands. Yuffie narrows her eyes. Who has this guy to order her around? Damn jerk.

"...I wasn't staring at you," She responds hotly, looking up and down at him in disdain. "You're nothing special."

The guy raises an eyebrow, his face bland and glacial.

"Oh really?"

She hated that look of disinterest of his face, that condescending look, that knowing smirk...She wanted to rip it off, tear his face into pieces before feeding into to the garlic in Aerith's garden...

"Yes!"

The guy continues to stare, that annoying stare on his face...

...and waits.

...and waits.

Yuffie finally decides to answer.

"...Even if I was looking at you, it only was because you remind me of someone." Yuffie huffs. It's not like she could say she was staring at him because...because he felt like darkness. He felt like Demyx, he felt like Larxene, he felt like that lone beach that she dreams of...

..._sleeep..._

With a quick blink, she forces her eyes open, keeping herself awake. The man stares back at her, a glint in his emerald eyes. (And what was with green and blue eyes these days? Does anyone ever get brown eyes anymore?)

"...Someone like me?" The guy pauses as if contemplating the fact that someone could be like him...(damn jerk). Then, he grins and holds out his hand. "The name's Axel, got it memorized?"

Yuffie stares at the hand. Why is the weird random dude holding out a hand to her? Is he assuming that she will shake it? Is he assuming that she would want to even go anywhere near him?

"...Yeah. Memorized. Sure. Gotcha." She says, still staring at the hand.

It's a hand.

Yes it is.

And now it's going back, back to the side of it's owner.

Good little hand.

Go away now.

Yes, that's good.

"...Well, are you going to tell me your name?" The guy (she refuses to acknowledge his name) asks. Yuffie stubbornly frowns and is silent as she takes another lick of her ice cream.

Quiet.

"Miss..."

Yuffie opens her eyes.

Yup.

Still there.

She growls.

"...Yuffie," She bites out. Then, after a pause she adds, "Got it memorized?"

The guy seems unfazed by her tone, and just winks.

"Gotcha."

(Ewewewewewew, this guy was _flirting _with her and WHY THE HELL was her heart beating so fast!? How dare he make her heart beat fast? She'll kill him for that! YAR! DIE EVIL RANDOM GUY!)

But before she can actually attempt her assassination plot (involving her awesome moogle army, of course), he stands up.

"Well, it nice meeting you, _Yuffie_," He says with a smile, adding emphasis to her name as if wanting to annoy her further.

_Fwoosh._

Yuffie blinks, unable to believe what she's seeing.

...Is he taking her hand? Wait, _what? _How the hell did he take it without...

Whoa crap.

Is he...kissing her hand?

_...sleep..._

The guy pulls back, her hand barely feeling the feather touch upon it, and salutes.

_...sleep...she's so tired..._

"Let's meet again."

_...why...why is the darkness overtaking her vision?_

_Such haze...she can't see..._

She doesn't see him walk away...

Her eyes close, sleep undertaking her...

And she's falling.

She doesn't feel herself hit the ground.

* * *

Such blackness around her...she can't see. 

_...That is, if you don't get lost in the darkness..._

What a quote to enter her mind at a time like this. Just wonderful.

"Well, this sucks." She grumbles to herself. She wants to move, walk, go anywhere but...

_...Don't get lost in the darkness..._

Did the woman _have _to say that to her? Gawsh, she's not sure if that dream was even real!

"Who's there!?"

Yuffie shrieks at the sudden voice that echoed in the air. Was there someone else here with her...wherever she was? If she was anyway?

...What if she was dead?

Yuffie suddenly straightens up.

...What if the weird random dude had killed her? (With a kiss to her hand? ...Wait, he probably have poisoned lip gloss so then it went into her skin and...)

"Where am I?" She yells into the darkness, her voice shaking in the dead space.

A moment of quiet.

Then the male voice responds back.

"...I don't _know_."

She has to laugh. Such a frustrated, annoyed, tired...familiar emotion.

_...Don't get lost in the darkness..._

Oh, who the hell cares a crap. If she's dead she might as well make the most of it.

"Hey dude, whoever you are, I'll be going now." She calls back, waving at a random direction despite knowing that the person would be unable to see her.

"...W-wait! You'll get--"

"--lost in the darkness, I know, I know!" Yuffie interrupts. "Gawd, I know that already. What more have I got to lose?"

And she starts to run forward, without even waiting for a response.

...Was that light?

* * *

AN: ...I can feel myself groaning. I did not just add another unintentional hinted pairing. I had planned on Yuffie meeting Axel differently, but I somehow wrote this and it seemed to work. And I don't want to change it because I like how the scene turned out. Tell me, is it too much? Should I change it? 

Also, is my change in writing style bugging you people? I just can't seem to stick to one. (And plus, Yuffie's random interludes are kinda fun to add.)

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Sand. 

Sand.

And even more freaking sand.

Yuffie swears she will never be able to go a beach again when she gets out of this place.

..._If _she gets out of this place.

Care to guess where she is?

With a groan, she gets up and points angrily at Kingdom Hearts.

"You evil thing! I don't see what's so special about you anyway!" She yells, her screech stiff in the dead air.

Silence.

Silence again.

And even more silence.

Not even an echo.

What a lonely world.

With a frustrated sigh she sits herself back down, her butt having formed a large hole in the sand.

How long has it been since she somehow got here?

Minutes?

Hours?

...Days?

Not like she knows.

* * *

She should have just stayed in the darkness. Even if she couldn't see, and had no idea where she was...at least she would have had something to do, someone to talk to. 

What more has she to lose?

Oh yeah, her _sanity_. (Not like she ever had any in the first place...)

_...hwsshdng..._

Yuffie shivers, looking around as the wind blows. It almost seemed like the wind was talking to her, whispering, creeping around her, about to choke her...

GAWD, DARN AERITH AND HER HORROR MOVIES!

It's like a slap, her fear whacking her to reality. She was scared, she was really really really scared and she didn't know if she was ever going to get out of here and it was just so cold and she just wants to _go home..._

_...yffwkp..._

Another whisper, tickling her skin.

**Bumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbump...**

She swears she never felt her heart beat so loud.

She looks around quickly. Maybe she'll see someone? Maybe she'll see someone familiar and happy? Maybe she'll find a nice warm blanket and some hot chocolate?

...Please?

..._yffecmbckts..._

A shiver runs up her spine as she jumps to her feet.

"You stupid wind!" She tries to yell. Maybe if she screams loud enough, she'll overpower the evil wind. Yes, that's it...Maybe if she's loud enough...

Maybe she'll be heard.

Her thoughts aren't making sense anymore (not like they ever did).

..._That is...If you don't get lost in the darkness..._

_...That is...If you don't get lost in the darkness..._

_...You...Darkness..._

_...Lost? _

_That's right, little girl. Don't presume to know me._

_Must you humans make everything so black and white? _

_A door to light. You might want to take it if you want to get out of here._

_...You're in the Realm of Darkness. _

_Got it memorized? _

_Is it so wrong to wish to exist?  
_

_...Not like I existed in the first place anyway... _

_What more have I got to lose...?_

_My sanity._

_What an empty victory._

She's not really seeing anything anymore.

A portal of Darkness opens up in front of her, purple and coal swirls inviting her in.

_Lost...little girl?_

So many voices in her head that she doesn't even hear her own.

"Yes."

And she walks in.

* * *

AN: Why is the chapter so short? Many reasons: I felt like this was one of those happy chapters that stood well by itself. Two: Consider this a "Congrats, first week of school done" gift. Three...well, I'll tell you that later. But now...**I shall pimp my forum! **

A friend and I have created a forum (you can find it on my profile) called Prompt Exchange, where you can post up prompts for other authors to take a shot at, or whatever. Of course, it's new and there are no prompts...but...if you go there, and post one up, that will all change! So, if you want to post a prompt (maybe get one in return) go there! Or, if you want to suck up to me and get in my good graces, go there!

...Please. :D

Now...third reason I posted up this chapter...Is there any character (Organization members in particular) that you want to see Yuffie interact with? (And I have answered before, there will most likely be no romance, only hints of it.) And also, to answer a particular reviewer's question...Yuffie will most likely not end up with anyone. (Except for one person. But I'm not telling you who...)


End file.
